Poll: How we view guns, immigration, marriage

• 63 percent say immigrants, whether here legally or not, are a benefit to society. In contrast, 31 percent say they are a burden because they use public services. Of those, 60 percent are Republicans.

Same-sex marriage

Background: California voters in 2008 banned same-sex marriage — a law that is being challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, nine states have approved same-sex marriage. The PPIC poll found:

• 53 percent of Californians support the right of gay couples to marry, mirroring polls taken in March and May of 2012.

• 67 percent of Democrats approve of same-sex marriage while 65 percent of Republicans are opposed.

• 56 percent of whites, but just 48 percent of Latinos, are in support.

• 64 percent say the Supreme Court ruling is “very” or “somewhat” important to them.

State budget and taxes

Brown earlier this month unveiled his proposed plan to balance the 2013-2014 state budget. With the aid of taxes approved by voters in November, the budget would increase school spending, pay down debt and create a $1 billion reserve. Brown also wants to shift more money to schools with large populations of students whose first language is not English and/or are poor.

• 69 percent favor Brown’s overall approach, including 79 percent of Democrats and 78 percent of public school parents.

• 55 percent say they support the fiscal trade-offs proposed by Brown in terms of paying down debt and adding reserves instead of spending more on social services. 38 percent say more money should go to social services.

• 49 percent say they are confident local authorities can take on the responsibility of the state’s current mandate to shift more low-level prisoners to county jails.

• 70 percent favor hiking cigarette taxes, which failed on the 2012 ballot, to raise revenues. Fifty-four percent favor more corporate taxes, but 61 percent oppose extending the sales tax to services that are currently not taxed, such as auto repair or legal help.

• 57 percent favor allowing local school parcel taxes to increase with a 55 percent vote, instead of the current two-thirds majority.

• 40 percent say it’s a “good thing” that Democrats control two-thirds of the Legislature, 27 said it was bad and 29 percent said it makes no difference.

Health care

Background: Brown has called for a special session to implement President Obama’s overhaul of the health care system.

• 55 percent of Californians support the changes — an 8-point increase since last March. The largest bloc of supporters are Democrats, 76 percent, and Latinos, 70 percent.

• 49 percent of those with families said the new law will not make any difference, 25 percent said they will be better off and 23 percent said they will be worse off.

• 43 percent of those without insurance said the law will not affect them, 23 percent said they will be better off and 23 percent said they will be worse off.